MCSE Course with SkillsTrain (Scheidegger)

[Genoxide]

I was looking at MCSE courses on Google and I came across Skills Train.

I filled in one of their online applications, and within a week they called me and said that one of their "Career Advisors" was in my area that week.

So the "Career Advisor" came to my house, which I thought was strange enough, but then I thought they must be really professional to have "career advisors" doing house visits.

When he arrived he began telling me how much I would earn if I had an MCSE, and that they would guarantee me employment after the course. He asked me some routine questions about my knowledge and then without warning he transformed himself into a sales man.

He then started telling me about how they have a 92% Pass Rate and that I would not find any other place that offer a better deal.

He then began talking to me as if I had agreed to sign on with them; asking me how I would like to pay, I said I would pay in a lump sum, to which he replied "You don’t have to pay it all in one go, you can pay over 42 months" I said I would prefer to pay in a lump sum, as its easier for me to manage my finances, he then replied "That’s fine, you can pay in a lump sum, but it really is better to pay over 42 months, its interest free, I really recommend you do it".

At this point I became very suspicious, and made it very clear that I had not yet agreed to sign up, or pay anything until I had done my research on the company. He then huffed and puffed and with a disappointed look on his face he said, "That’s fine, I know".

He began packing his things without saying a word, then shook my hand and left.

I thought he acted like a complete sales man, with bully techniques. He made the entire course sound like something it isn’t.

Now that I have read about how horrible their service, and support is, I’m very happy I did not sign on. I have found out that by choosing to pay over 42 months, it meant they would sign me up for an interest free loan, where I would HAVE to pay them.

Bunch of cowboys.

Does anyone know of a better company?

*EDIT*

I forgot to mention, after the fourth time of telling him that I wanted to pay it all in one go, he immediatly called someone up and asked them "How much discount do we give to people who pay in a lmp sum" He then offered me a £400 discount off the orignal £3200 price.

I couldnt believe that he thought I was that stupid.

[porridgeface]

I was very interested to read your comments. I too had a course advisor/salesman form Skills train visit my home. I had been looking at MCSE training for well over a year and new that it was going to cost me a lot of money and was pretty nervous about this guy coming. I thought he was extremely professional. He spent nearly two hours with me finding out about my education and experiences and was quizzing me about the direction that I wanted to go. After finding out all of the information he then recommended the N+ and MCSE which is EXACTLY what I wanted to do (he didnt know what i was looking for up till that point) so the help was spot on. I was told the cost of the course which was £3700 two grand cheaper than I had been offered before, further more he set up a scheme where i could pay it back over three years interest free but they would train me and qualify me first. WHAT A DEAL!!! Yes you have got to pay it back but so what, i cant afford to stump up nearly 4k just like that.
I have just completed my N+ which was quite basic i thought but it is just like an introduction to networking b4 you do the MCSE. Skillstrain tutors are excellent too, mine is an Indian guy called Jag I would say hes more like a mate now. Ive been on the course 7 months now and have only had three practicals they were in the travel lodge but are good and you get coffee and sarnies as well. I would say that to do well on these courses you have to work at it cos they wont do it for you. Some of the reviews ive read on here are just not about the skillstain i know and can only presume its people who have taken out this loan to train then decided they cant be bothered to see it through, shame.
hope this helps and good luck if you decide to do some training!!!!!!!

[delboy59]

you sound just like one of those false "Im so glad I took a course with skillstrain, , it has changed my life" articles they print when trying to sell something. what a load of bull, how long have you been working as a salesman for them? :sponge

[Genoxide]

To porridgeface,

What a complete wanker. Post count = 1. Well done for making a fake post, moron.

[CSK]

I'm glad I saw this thread I need to get this off my chest. I've been working in AV/IT for 10 years and finally decided to get my MCSE, Filled in the Skillstrain form online and the geezer came round in Oct '05. He did his blurb took the £75 deposit and left me the course materials. But the books were photcopies and there was no MCP branding on any of the material. I understand that a company has to be an MCP in order to offer Microsoft courses, Skillstrain aren't! I sent back my course materials the following week and I'm still waiting for my £75 refund should get it on Thurs 25/05/06.... lets wait and see eh??

My mate went to Deli and did his MCSE in 6 weeks, all above board, and had the time of his life, that's the way to do it.

Oh and Porridge Face if you are a sales rep for Skillstrain I'm gonna burn your house down, theiving fag*****!!!!!

[porridgeface]

MCSE in six weeks? Doing it properly? Can you see a company paying 30 - 60 grand for someone who has done a six week course? Dealing with Skillstrain has certainly not been a life changing experience, where did you get that from, but I too thoroughly enjoyed my experience with them.
Your threats and bad language and general offensive behaviour paint a picture of someone that should not be training for a career in I.T so its best you stay as you are on minimum wage in (I.T)? in a call centre somewhere. You would be better advised to invest your money in CLEARASIL! :thumb

[Zeb]

I think i registered with skillstrain on there site a couple of months ago......i didnt get a call until last week and they told me there was this computer expert coming to my house and I'm like.....what!. So I kinda go along with it and agree that this guy visits me. When he came over he basically asked questions about my experience n crap and chooses a course for me, the CIW Web Manager course which I was interested in. I sign a bunch of papers..... he didnt take a moment to explain or let me read, left me the course materials...and that was it. I didnt have a clue what I was getting into until I saw the bloody agreement for a loan, and I had given him a £50 deposit. So next day I decide to cancel, after reading all the course materials, which are photocopies, totally put me off.

Does anyone know how or where to cancel.....I know theres a week until I'm officially on the course and buggered. I want to get off this as quick as possible. I've written a letter but am unsure wether I have to send all the materials? Whats the address I need to post to?.....

Any help would be much apperciated....Dont know what I was thinking when I was bought into this rubbish.

[CSK]

I've left the info for cancelling the course in my office will post it on monday. I sent the materials back recorded delivery so they couldn't question it, although when I rang in Feb to chase up my deposit they said they hadn't received it! So I faxed them the delivery receipt I've still had to wait till now to get my deposit back (and it still isn't in my bank). It cost £20 to send the stuff but I was worried that they'd sting me for the materials if they weren't sent.

Porridgeface, I didn't mean to upset it was just banter. If you are genuine then good luck. The mate who went to India is now earning upwards of 30k working for Thames Valley Police. Here's the URL for the Indian boot camp. Note the MCP branding.

http://www.koenig-solutions.com/

[Zeb]

I really dont know wether to send the materials back to them, it just seems like a waste of money. I would'nt count on them collecting the materials either. I'm planning on posting my letter of cancellation tommorow and was wondering how soon will i recieve a reply, and about the deposit money. I'm really stressed and worried about this cus im not sure if there gonna accept the letter or not.

:curse

[CSK]

I don't know if the same applies for your course but the letter I had stated "In the case of failure to meet condition six of the college agreement and/or should the student fail to return all the course materials to the college, the student will be liable for the full cost of the course and no refund of deposit would be actioned".

The only thing I can say in their defence is that the women on the phone (08450 777770) was reasonably sympathetic and helpful.

If you do send the stuff back you can send it freepost to "Scheidegger, FREEPOST LOL1298, Luton LU1 1AB" and ask the post office for a certificate of posting you will also have to put in anote with your agreement number. It is imperative you get some proof of postage as even though I sent mine recorded delivery (got work to pay), they claimed they hadn't received it at first.

I'm gonna send a email to trading standards as soon as I get that refund I encourage all who been mistreated to do the same.

Death to Scheidegger!!!!!!!!!!

[wobblybob]

Hi there

First time on this forum but felt i had to respond to this thread.

I've got good and not so good views at present on the matter. Firstly i joined skills train when they were simply scheidegger, tho' i'm unsure if skills train is simply a rebranding?

I've found the support to be less than perfect at times, it appears to depend on who you get, and how much they appear to know about what you're asking them. Quite often, it seems the tutors simply look at the same book you're looking at, tell you exactly what's on the page and have little expertise to offer. I have felt at times that i may as well be on the other end of the phone rather than a paid tutor 'cos i can read from a book verbatim :) That being said, every now and again they seem to be able to offer little pearls of wisdom. I have previously been advised to 'google' my query instead :argue

My thoughts...the materials are old, about 6 years out of date in some parts, for example, new motherboards have ACPI which, as well as other uses, extends the IRQ range. The training book doesn't mention this at all, the tutors advise that 'this is what XP does', which didn;t help me understand at all. It took a visit to the rather friendly people on pc-mech forum to point me in the right direction. Overall i have little faith in the ability of the tutor team to steer me in the right direction.

So what can be done? Well, common sense tells me that the world aint perfect :rolleyes: I figure that there are enough resources out there on t'internet to eventually get the answers i need - just gotta reach out 'n touch someone - metaphorically, not physically - as that tends to lead to unwanted court cases etc :) Distance learning is a strange old game and the onus really is on me to find the answers and teach myself. There will be better training providers, there will be worse. As long as they are prepared to give me a recognised qualification upon successful completion of course then i am not too bothered.

This is not to say i have not had some help from the company regarding financial difficulties, i did rather dimly sign up to a credit agreement i could not get out of, however have had my course date extended and monthly payments dropped by a certain amount when i got stuck.

Finally, for any skills train people reading this post, i hope you are not offended by anything i have said. I do believe in the power of discussion to promote positive change and there are areas of your course which i have found less than adequate in terms of resource, training materials and tutor support. It appears i am not the only one. Please do consider these points carefully. I am sure you have the capacity to change the slightly negative image you appear to be portraying for yourselves in the market. Good luck.

wb :cheers

[SCORPIAN_KING80]

*********************

[SCORPIAN_KING80]

http://www.freelawyer.co.uk/vlawyer/actfile.asp?subject1=3&subject2=3&seq=6&actid=297

some free legal advice,


Please contact BBC WATCHDOG, BBC INSIDE OUT, TRADING STANDARDS, CITIZEN AND ADVICE BUREAU, if you are also affected

[subazeg]

Probably I also made a silly decision signing up with this company.
Lack of the service I ve already found:
-- Manpower doesn t know about any relationship with Skills Train/Seidegger.

-- The study materials are not only out-dated but unaccurate as well. I ve already found many mistakes in it.
The most sadness is this book probably was published years ago but no correction was made so far. There are no notes for editon details in the book. The interactive CD is primitive. Most of the content just repeats what is writen in the book.

If I find more problems I m going to display them here and on other forums.

My aim is achive Skills Train/Scheidegger update and correct all materials, and create a forum where students can meet each other.

I don t want to loose more money! But if they don t provide proper service I m going to take legal action against them.

[Bijay_Subba]

I don't know if the same applies for your course but the letter I had stated "In the case of failure to meet condition six of the college agreement and/or should the student fail to return all the course materials to the college, the student will be liable for the full cost of the course and no refund of deposit would be actioned".

The only thing I can say in their defence is that the women on the phone (08450 777770) was reasonably sympathetic and helpful.

If you do send the stuff back you can send it freepost to "Scheidegger, FREEPOST LOL1298, Luton LU1 1AB" and ask the post office for a certificate of posting you will also have to put in anote with your agreement number. It is imperative you get some proof of postage as even though I sent mine recorded delivery (got work to pay), they claimed they hadn't received it at first.

I'm gonna send a email to trading standards as soon as I get that refund I encourage all who been mistreated to do the same.

Death to Scheidegger!!!!!!!!!!

hi!
I jus got signed up 2day for MCSE and after few hours when i went back and check i was lost and helpless
.IS IT REALLY FAKE AM I BEING CHEATED!!!
PLZ CONFIRM ME.

[Fifer]

To all of U who are doing a Skills Train course, whether Ur experience so far is good or bad, I urge U to make enquiries about the venues for final exams B4 going any further. Many of the people who do these courses, do so because they cannot get out and about easily. Here's what happened to me:

Firstly a bit about myself. I'm 60 yrs of age and physically disabled due to an accident I had 4 years ago. I still cannot travel long distances without suffering adverse affects.

In January 2006 I received a 'phone call from a Skills- Train rep, who said he'd heard I'd been enquiring about a computer course. At the time I was in the middle of an ECDL course but had changed from Windows '98 to XP and my PC wasn't recognising the disk, so I thought he was referring to that and allowed him to visit. Biggest mistake of my life! He told me the ECDL was no longer running and talked me into doing the course on Computer Book-keeping for a SAGE Diploma. I told him I already had an HNC in accounts, but he said I'd have to start again from scratch as I'd gotten the HNC in 1984
He spoke at length about how I'd need something to fall back on once August arrived and I became a pensioner. He was so plausible and seemed so honest & nice that I had no reason to suspect he was telling me a load of lies. He gave me a very simple arithmetic test which I passed with flying colours and said I should have no difficulty in completing the course within 6 months.

He told me there would be 2 social functions at a local hotel, where I'd meet up with other Scheidegger students for refreshments etc, giving me something to look forward to as I do not get out much. (These events never did take place)! He then went out to his car and returned with a briefcase full of stationery etc which he handed to me. He went through the contents of the briefcase and showed them to me.

He then produced what looked like one single agreement and said all that was left was for me to sign up with his company. I asked if I could have time to look over the agreement but he looked at his watch and said he still had another call to make and was running short of time, which meant I had to sign the agreement there & then. I looked over the agreement as best I could, but I was feeling under pressure to sign and would have been too embarrassed to do otherwise. After all he'd told me there was a cooling off period and I thought I could simply contact him to say I'd changed my mind.

The document just looked like one single agreement to me. I did not suspect that part of it was actually a separate agreement between myself and a Financial company, giving them permission to pay Skills Train £1,800 and charge it to me.

He then said he had to call his office on his mobile in order to set up the account. He seemed to know the person on the other end, so it appeared that he was indeed talking with someone at Skills Train. He had told me that I had a 3 day cooling off period during which I could get back to him and cancel.

What I did not know was that I actually had 14 days and should have received written confirmation of this within the next couple of days. I never did receive that information and only found out how long I'd actually had to cancel, ten months later during a telephone conversation with a woman at the Scheidegger office.

I actually tried repeatedly that evening and over the next 3 days, to contact Mr McKenzie and cancel, but he didn't answer his 'phone. I tried to contact Skills Train over the internet but could find no 'Contact Us' link on their site. In the end I felt that I'd just have to accept the course and do the best I could. I attained high marks on all of the tests (between 90% and 100%).

There was no way I could have completed the course in the next 6 months, as I'd to wait at least a week for the results each time I sent a TMA to the tutor. It was 10 mths before I reached the point where I received the SAGE package, and that was when I discovered that the nearest venue for the final exams was at Glasgow, almost 50 miles away!

I contacted the exams board who confirmed this, and was told they're even making students travel as far as Luton nowadays. I contacted Scheidegger and was told they might be able to send an invigilator to my house, but that I (now a pensioner) would have to pay all his/her costs beforehand & be reimbursed at a later date. By this time I was extremely upset and actually having asthma & angina attacks. I 'phoned Clydesdale Finance who warned me that if I didn't keep up the payments they would have me black-listed. I approached the Office of Trading Standards who did a full investigation and took my case to the Financial Ombudsman, who decided that since Clydesdale Financial Services had paid out the money for my course, to Scheidegger, they were legally entitled to be repaid.

3 weeks ago I received a 'phone call from yet another Skills Train rep, saying he'd heard I was interested in doing one of their courses. You can guess what he was told! My number is unlisted, so they must just be chancing their luck and 'phoning people at random

[roboc]

MCSE in six weeks? Doing it properly? Can you see a company paying 30 - 60 grand for someone who has done a six week course? Dealing with Skillstrain has certainly not been a life changing experience, where did you get that from, but I too thoroughly enjoyed my experience with them.
Your threats and bad language and general offensive behaviour paint a picture of someone that should not be training for a career in I.T so its best you stay as you are on minimum wage in (I.T)? in a call centre somewhere. You would be better advised to invest your money in CLEARASIL! :thumb
What's it like being a bare faced liar?! I've spent the last 2 years trying to get out of this mess. It's a scam and everyone knows it. I paid fifty quid for a holdall full of antiquated crap (even floppy discs) no wonder i decided to cancel, ah ,but they don't let you!. If this was above board then why are there so many good people who have been conned all the way, making so many complaints?
The internationally recognised certificate is not internationally recognised at all, not even nationally.
Anyone who has fallen for this utter scam should try everything posible to expose Scheidegger/Skills Train by complaining to CAB,FLA,Consumer Advice Trading Standards,etc. If you have got into trouble with a Credit Company (I now have a Default notice) because of this, complain to Experian and Equifax. I cant believe they are getting away with this!.. chase this up.C,MON!